Qantas Statement On British Airways Industrial Action

Qantas Statement on British Airways Industrial Action

SYDNEY, 15 December 2009: Qantas said today that industrial action by British Airways (BA) cabin crew from 22 December would have no impact on Qantas operations between Australia and the United Kingdom.

Qantas Group Executive Government and Corporate Affairs, Mr David Epstein, said the airline's first priority was to its customers, including those booked on codeshare services operated by BA.

"All Qantas services between Australia and the UK will operate as scheduled over the Christmas and New Year period," Mr Epstein said.

"The action does, however, have the potential to disrupt the travel plans of Qantas customers booked on BA services.

"We have determined we have sufficient capacity across the 12 days to accommodate Qantas ticketed passengers booked on BA codeshare flights between Australia and the UK on existing Qantas services.

"This will provide certainty for Qantas customers travelling to and from the UK."

Qantas will provide alternative options, where possible, for other affected customers, such as those booked on BA services into Europe out of London. These will include allowing changes to bookings without penalty and, on some routes, opportunities to travel on other carriers.

Customers will be contacted over coming days regarding their options. Some flexibility may be needed regarding changes to travel dates and times.

Updated information will be available on qantas.com as it becomes available, and customers will be contacted by their travel agent, or by Qantas where their booking was made directly with Qantas.

"We will continue to liaise with BA regarding its plans for the period between 22 December and 2 January, and closely monitor what further action we can take to minimise impacts on our customers," Mr Epstein said.

Issued by Qantas Corporate Communication (Q3995)
Media Enquiries: Simon Rushton T: +61 2 9691 3742

Further information and media releases can be found at the Qantas website: qantas.com

SOURCE: Qantas